Image courtesy thegazette.com
Update: The controversy sparked by Iowa Rep. Scott Raecker's bill to force the University of Iowa's Art Museum to sell a prized Jackson Pollock painting has prompted him to back off for now.
National organization's threatened to cancel the museum's accreditation and refuse to loan art or exhibitions to Iowa institutions if the painting were sold in violation of the donor's wishes. Des Moines philanthropist and art collector John Pappajohn, who had given $40 million to the University, opposed the sale as did Governor Terry Branstad.
In light of the uproar, Raecker, (R, Urbandale) told the Des Moines Register that it was more important to pass a state budget than to wrangle over the future of a painting. Today's committee meeting (Feb. 22) to onsider his proposed bill has been canceled.
